What is 'cellulite' and what can we do to combat it?
What is cellulite?
None of the reference books mention the term 'cellulite'. The Oxford English Dictionary lists 'cellulose' but not 'cellulite'.
Advertisement
We all use the term 'cellulite' and we all know that it refers to the rather unattractive puckered or 'orange peel' appearance of the skin of parts of the body where fat tends to accumulate. But although we I know about this term, the boffins who write medical or dietetic handbooks never refer to it.
Well let's not let that stop us from considering what factors cause 'cellulite' and how we can combat it.
Factors that cause cellulite
Cellulite seems to occur in those parts of the body where we store fat and when these fat depots increase in size, the appearance of the skin changes and becomes dimpled and unattractive.
Gender plays an important role in determining where you will deposit fat. Women have a tendency to deposit fat on the hips, thighs, buttocks, upper arms and breasts. Men, on the other hand are more inclined to lay down fat on the back of the neck and the stomach (the well known beer boep!).
To avoid cellulite it is, therefore, essential not to gain weight in the first place. If you are basically healthy and do not suffer from any hormone imbalances, and your energy intake exceeds your energy expenditure, then you will gain weight and the excess fat will be deposited in those fat depots. Once the fat depots start to enlarge, the skin covering these areas becomes puckered and cellulite appears.
How to combat cellulite
Considering that cellulite is not regarded as 'real' by most of the experts who should be doing something about the matter, it is not surprising that we know very little about how cellulite can be combatted effectively.
As a preventive measure it is essential to avoid weight gain and fat deposition by eating a balanced diet which is rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, bioflavonoids, dietary fibre and low in fat. Doing regular exercise to ensure that you burn up excess energy and keeping fit and trim also helps. Exercise increases blood flow to all areas of the body and can stimulate metabolism so that the fat in the depots is mobilised.
How effective are cellulite treatments?
This is another unknown and uncharted territory. There are hundreds of products on the market that promise to reduce cellulite. Some of these come in the form of anti-cellulite pills and drops. I suspect that most of them contain laxatives and/or diuretics. Such products will not help to mobilise fat and may cause more harm than good.
Other anti-cellulite products are sold in the form of creams that are massaged into the affected areas.
Certain of these creams and lotions may make a difference because their active ingredients when combined with active, regular massage, will stimulate and increase blood flow to the areas where cellulite occurs.
The following quote was featured in the latest edition of "Demos", the newsletter of ADSA : "It's one of life's little ironies that 'Cellulite' sounds like a low fat spread! - Dr I.V. van Heerden, registered dietician.
Bookmark with:
What are social bookmarks?